The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)
Real life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac portray twin sisters who run a dance school in Rochefort, longing for love and the bright lights of Paris, while their mother runs a cafe in a plaza where a carnival has been scheduled. It’s a beautiful, candy-colored musical spectacle that is chock-filled with coincidences and mixed connections. For some weird reason, the sisters’ wigs are extremely distracting, making them look like 20 years older than they are, but the ear-wormy music and the appearance of Gene Kelly make up for it. I still prefer Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as a complete production, but this is very cute and simply more feel-good.
Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation)